snow, snow, snow. Since the days of the white splendor comes from the top. About the extreme winter we talked with meteorology Professor Dr. Peter Höppe of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.
How extraordinary is it, that so much snow falls at once?
Days of snow is not a too rare event. Exceptionally large quantities of very heavy snow in some places in the foothills of the Alps. These result from the relatively mild temperatures around zero degrees. There was often a Winter with very much snow, but usually with much colder temperatures. Since the snow was a bit lighter and didn't cause so many problems.
+ Professor Dr. Peter Höppe is the former head of Geo risk research, Munich re.©redwe Are no longer accustomed to so much snow?
We have experienced a series of very mild winters, so it is unusual for us. But in 2006, for example, there was a similar Situation with a lot of snow in Bavaria and Austria. At that time there was great damage, including the roof of the ice rink in Bad Reichenhall collapsed on it due to the high snow pressure.
see also: Drunk snow plow driver rams car and flees on foot - but forgets a Detail
weather Chaos in Munich and Bavaria: Where is all the snow?
Where is the snow in these masses?
at the moment, very humid air from the North Atlantic flows to us, which is relatively warm, but cold enough that the precipitation falls as snow. Because of the weather situation over a long period of time, this is a so-called persistent weather conditions. These persistent weather conditions have been observed in the past years very common, and are brought in the context of climate change.
a Lot of snow and climate change are, therefore, not a contradiction?
no. As a result of climate change, the so-called jet stream is disrupted, a strong wind, the band that decides where highs and lows are, and how fast they move forward. He is driven by the temperature differences between the subtropical and the polar areas. By the melting of the ice cover in the polar regions are warming faster than the Rest, and the temperature difference is smaller and, therefore, the drive of the Jet stream. He is unstable, and the bulges move slower. It is more common to such bulges, where lows or highs, weather patterns last longer. In the Winter Frost, it may be so that he stays longer. The air is humid, it snows for days.
But there used to be?
of Course there was the earlier time that large quantities were heavy snow down. Often this happened but it was only towards the end of winter in February or March. For January, it is currently very mild. It would be colder air from the North-East and with temperatures of minus 10 degrees, it would snow so much. The air would be much drier, the snow crystal structures were much finer. More snow so it can have to do directly with climate change.
The threatens us after the masses of Snow in Bavaria
we Can hope that the snow stays on the ground and we get a stable winter weather?
it looks, at the weekend, the temperatures rise again.
What happens when it is warmer?
By the melting of these huge masses of Snow, a large flood potential. Also, the avalanche danger is increasing, if the snow structure changed once again.
Interview: Aglaja Adam
see also:
Merkur.de: snow plow crashed into Isar: a depth of grief for the snow plow driver, Hans K. (48)
snow-Chaos in Bavaria: New storm front coming in - Two dramatic deaths
troublemakers impede Munich Snowplows
S-Bahn-Munich: Weather-related disruptions in the Morning - driving guests must now
man throws himself in front of a snow plow and fixed clawing - the reason for this is brazen. The merkur.de*
*merkur.de reported is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Date Of Update: 17 January 2019, 12:00
